Acetylene-gas generator.



f BATENTED AUG. '25, 1903.

J. SUMMBRFIELD. ACBTYLENB GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV, 26, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H6 HODBL.

Bn/ento 17 No. 737,524. PATENTBD AUG, 25, 1903.

J. SUMMERFIELD. AOETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 190.2.

H0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- V Wit Patented August 25, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN SUMMERFIELD, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 737,524, dated August 25, 1903.

Application filed November 26, 1902- Serial No. 132,853. (No model.)

To all ZUhU/II/ it 711.107; concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN SUMMERFIELD, of the city of Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of ,Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in gasgenerators, and particularly to gas-generators for generating gas from carbid; and the obj cot is to provide generators which are econom ical and practical and perfectly automatic in action and which will be free from danger of explosions.

Other objects and advantages will be fully explained in the following dcscriptiomand the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application and specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the entire apparatus, a part of the storage-tank being broken and shown in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of one of the generating-chambers. Fig. 3 is aplan view of one of the generating-chambers. Fig. --1 is a detail enlarged plan view of one of the sprinklers. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same, showing the manner of mounting the sprinkler. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the switching mechanism, a part of the locking-bar being broken away to show the parts which would have been hidden from view by the locking-bar. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the locking-bar and the tripping-bar. Fig. Sis a side elevation of one of the switching-keys on a larger scale than Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the drier.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

This invention is provided with a storageward by any suitable weight 6, placed on top of the bell 5. Two generating-chambers 4 and 7 are provided, and means are provided for usin geach generatin g-chamber alternately and storing the gas from each chainberin the storage-tank 1. The object is to arrange the generating-chambers so that gas will be generated in one until the carbid is exhausted and then automatically to switch the waterfeeding mechanism, so that gas will be generated in the next chamber. A water-tank S is provided for feeding water to either generating-chamber. Tank 8 is provided with a pipe 9, and the pipe 9 is provided with a cutoff valve 10 and a union 11. Pipe 9 is further provided with an automatic valve 12, or a valve 12 which is automatically operated by means of a segment or spur 13. This spur 13 has a notch 14 in one side, and the spur is mounted on the valve-stem or shaft 15, which rocks the valve to open or close the same. The pipe 9 is connected by means of suitable elbows to the pipe 16. The pipe 16 is connected by means of a pipe 17 to a pipe 18, whereby the pipe 9 will deliver waterto either pipe 16 or 18. A plug 19 is inserted in the pipe 18 opposite the entrance of pipe 17, so that pipe 17 may be cleaned without taking the pipes down. The automatic cut-off valve 12 is mounted in pipe 9, so that the flow of water to either pipe 16 or 18 may be regulated by one cutoff or a common cut-oif valve. By such arrangement only one tripping mechanism is necessary.

The manner of operat in g the cut-off valve 1 2 will next be described. A tripping-bar 20 is mounted on the gas-bell 5 by means of a bar 27, which is attached to the gas-bell. The upper part of the bar 20 is threaded and made adjustable as to height by means of nuts 21 and 22. The lower part of the tripping-bar 20 is bent to form a tripper 23, which engages the spur 13 in the notch 11 for turning the said spur. WVhen the machine is not in use, the tripping mechanism stands in the position shown in Fig. 1. \Vhen water is turned on by means of cock 10 in the water-pipe, water will reach the carbid in one of the generators and gas will be generated until the pressure becomes strong enough to raise the gas-bell 5, and thus carry the tripper 23 upward. In moving upward the tripper will engage the spur 13 in notch 14 and turn the spur, and

to support the carbid.

thus cut off the water-supply. A lockingbar 24 is bolted to the bent part of the bar 20 (this bar 20 being wide enough to form the tripper 23 and to leave an extended portion 25 for attaching the bar 24) for locking the valve 12 open by means of pins 26, which are inserted in the spur 13. Immediately after the tripper turns the spur 13 the bar 24 passes up and comes flush with the pins 26 in the position shown in Fig. 6. The bar 24 thus locks the valve 12 closed until the tripper 23 comes down and turns the spur back to the position shown in Fig. 1.- The gas-bell 5 descends as the gas is consumed, and the gasbell carries the tripper 23 down, so that this tripper will engage the spur to open the valve to turn water on the carbid again, whence more gas will be generated and the tripper will go up and out off the water as before. This operation will continue until all the carbid in one chamber is spent. It will be understood that the machine will stand still with a supply of gas in the gas-bell when no gas is being used. The bar 27 is guided in its upward and downward motion by two rods 28, which have heads 29 to prevent the bar 27 from going off and which are threaded and screwed into jam-nuts and lock-nuts 30, attached to the tank 2. The bar 20 is held in the proper vertical position by the bar 27.

The generating-chambers are alike in con.

I struction and the description of one will be sufficient. Each generator is provided with awater seal. Each chamberis provided with and mounted on apipe 31. The pipes 31 are provided with water and gas tight valves 32 and are mounted on blocks 33, which have recesses 34 cut therein, which recesses form gutters extending under the pipes 31 to carry away spent carbid or ashes and water. A grate or rack 35 is mounted in each chamber A water-tank 3 sur rounds the upper part of each chamber, and is attached thereto in the position shown in Fig. 2. A gas-bell 36 is mounted in each water-tank 3 and surrounds the upper part of each generating-chamber and the water and gas-pipes leading to and irom the mouth of each chamber. I down, in each water-tank 3 by means of a bar 37, which is attached to the top of the gasbell and has a part 38 bent up near the middle part to form a handle. The ends of the bars 37 are engaged by hooks 39, which may be soldered to the sides of the water-tanks. The points of the hooks on the tank extend in opposite directions, so that the bar 37 will be engaged by the hooks when the gas-bell is placed in the water-tank with the bar 37 resting on top of the water-tank and the gas-bell is slightly shifted.

Means are provided for delivering water to each generating-chamber alternately. The manner of directing water to the pipes 16 and 18 is described above. Valves 40 and 41 are mounted, respectively, in pipes 16 and 18, and these valves are set with their openings so Each gas-bell 36 is locked.

that when one valve is open the other is closed. Flexible pipes 42 and 43 connect the pipes 16 and 18, respectively, with 44 and 45, which carry the water to the sprinklers 46. Means are provided for switching the water from one generator to the other alternately. The valves 40 and 41,are provided with rock-shafts 47 and 48, and keys 49 and are mounted 011 the shafts or valve-stems 47 and 48 for opening and closing the valves 40 and 41. The keys 49 and 50 are made to operate simultaneously, but they have a very slight movement relative to each other. This movement relative to each other in the keys 49 and 50 is necessary because of. the difliculty of grinding the valves exactly true. The keys would move independent of each other if they were not locked together by pins 51 and 52, which are mounted on the keys 49 and 50, respectively. The pin 51 is attached to the key 49 and will cause the keys to move together in turning in one direction, and the pin 52 is attached to the key 50 and will cause the keys to move together in the other direction. One pin being attached to one key and the other pin being attached to the other key will allow sutlicient movement of the keys relative to each other. Unless there is some movement of the keys relative to each other the key on one valve-stem or rock-shaft might not open or close properly the valve which is operated by the other key. The keys are operated by a tripping-lug 53, which is bolted to bars 20 and 24, and by the weighted arms 54, 55, 56, and 57, which are pivotally mounted on the key 49 by means of pins 58, inserted at one end in the key 49. Stop-pins 59 are also mounted in the key'49 to limit the outward movement of the pivoted arms. Weights are attached to the outer ends of the pivoted arms to make these arms fall promptly from the position shown by arm 54 in Fig. 8. In this position the tripper 53 is supposed to be against arm 55 and just about to pass below the arm. As soon as the tripper 53 releases the arm 55 the arm 54, which is resting on the arm 55, will drop and rest on the pivot 58 and project in the path of the tripper or lug 53. When thelug it out of the path and go on up above this arm,

because this arm has sufficient movement to allow the lug 53 to pass up without turning the valve or key 49. As soon as the lug 53 passes above the arm 54 this arm will drop back against the pivot 58. When the lug 53 again descends, it will engage the arm 54 and press the same down and in doing this will turn the keys 49 and 50 su fficient to open one valve and close the other in pipes 16 and 18. Arm 57 will then occupy the position previously occupied by the arm 54, and arm 56 will take the position of the arm 57, &c. It will be seen that the keys 49 and 50 will be rotated in one direction and that each time the lug 53 passes IIS ninety degrees. Every time this is done one valve will be opened and the other closed in pipes 16 and 18. For instance, if the valve 40 is open and the valve 41 is closed the lug 53 on passing down will engage one of the arms pivoted on the key 49 and rotate the keys ninety degrees and close valve 40 and open valve 41. The lug 53 in passing up does not rotate the keys, because the arms on the key 49 will swing far enough out of the way of the lug without rotating or moving the keys. lVlienever valve 40 is closed and valve 41 is opened, water is switched from generator 4 to generator 7 and vice versa when valve 41 is closed-and valve 40 opened. Water is delivered through pipes 44 and 45 to sprinklers 46, which drops the water on the carbid placed on the, grates 35. The sprinklers consist of cone-shaped and corrugated sheet-metal pieces which are supported by wire stems 61 in the pipes 44 and 45. Each sprinkler has partitions or upwardly-extending flanges 62, which extend up to and the edges thereof are flush with the wire stem 61. The object of these flanges is to divide the water and start the same to all parts of the sprinkler. The .i'lange's 62 are mounted on the upward bends of the corrugations of the metal.

The gas is carried from the generatingchambers 4and 7 bymeans of pipes 63 and 64, which are united by a T-section 65 to a common pipe 66, which connects with the storagetank 1. Each pipe 63 and 64is provided with a cut-off valve 67, which is also a safety-valve. The cut-oft valves are provided so that each generator may be cut off from the storagetank at will for the purpose of replenishing with carbid. The valves 67 are made safetyvalves, so that if a party were to fail to open the valve after water was turned on the carbid gas would escape without causing an explosion. An explosion is not probable, because the gas-bells 36 rest in water or other liquid. The gas would pass under the lower edge of the gas-bell 36 and then escape between the gas'bell and the water-tank 3. This is one of the advantages of the water seal. Another advantage of the water seal is that the water makes a perfect seal. The safetyvalves being an ordinary three-way valve, will also let in air when the generator is cut off from the storage-tank. The advantage of this is that the gas-bell can be taken off. If no air were allowed to pass into the generator, the atmospheric pressure would make the rem oval of the gas-bell difficult. The gas-pipes 63 and 64 extend near the top of the generating-chambers, and the upper parts of the gaspipes are protected by housings 68. Recesses are cut in the top edges of the generatingchambers to allow the gas to pass into the gas-pipes. The water-tanks 3 are provided with drainage-cocks 69. The water-tank 2 is provided with a drainage-cock 70, and the storage-tank 1 is provided with a drainagecock 71. As the gas is taken from the storage-tank l for use it is passed through a drier.

A pipe 72 delivers the gas to the drier. The drier consists of a large T-pipe section 73.

Each opening is plugged with a suitable bushing 7 4-. The pipe 72 runs through the bushing 74 to the interior of the drier, and the mouth of the pipe is covered with a bag 75 of suitable cloth or porous material of some kind to arrest any particles of foreign matter which may be passing up with the gas. The drier is provided with a drainage-cock 76, which runs through the bushing 74. A service-pipe 77 leads out of the drier.

In use one orboth of the generators may be used. The object in providing two generators is that there will always be gas for making lights and so that the lights will not go out when the carbid is used up in one generator. ater is placed in the water-tank and water or oil is placed in the tanks surrounding the gas-bells for sealing purposes. Garbid is placed in the generators. To start the machine, open the cock or valve 10. Set the key 49 so that the valve 40 will stand open. \Vater will be sprinkled on the carbid in generater 4. Gas will be generated and pass to the storage-tank 1. The gasbell 5 will rise as the gas accumulates and carry the lug 53 upward without turning the keys 49 and without disturbing the valve 40. As the bell 5 continues to rise the spur or tripper 23 will engage the spur 13 in notch 14 and turn this spur, and thus close the valve 12 and cut off the water-feed. As the bell 5 continues to rise the bar 24 will lock the valve 12 closed until the gas is consumed out of bell 5 enough to let this bell descend. On descending the tripper 23 will again engage the spur 1.3 and open the valve 12. \Vater will again feed to generator 4 and gas will be generated and the bell 5 will rise again before it goes low enough to cause the lug 53 to disturb the keys 49. This operation will continue until all the carbid is spent in the generator 4. When the gas is consumed and the bell 5 descends, the lug 53 will turn the keys 49 and close the valve 40 and open the valve 41. This will switch the feed-water to the generator 7. The operation will then continue as above described i'or generator 4. \Vhile the generator 7 is in operation generator 4maybe recharged with carbid by simply cutting communication off from storage-tank by turning the valve 67 in pipe 63. After the generator is recharged the valve 67 may be opened, and then generator 4 is ready for use. lVhen the carbid is spent in chamber 7, the lug 53 will switch the feed-water to chamber 4, as above described. Either generator can be charged while the other is in use.

Many changes may be made in the con struction and arrangement of the various parts without departing from my invention.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A gasgenerator having one or more generating-chambers, a gas-storage tank, suitable pipes connecting said parts, and means for sprinkling water on carbid used for generating the gas consisting of a suitable pipe for conveying water to the generating-chamber, a sprinkler mounted in the generatingchamberand hanging loosely in the end of said pipe, and means for controlling the flow of water through said pipe, said sprinkler consisting of a cone-shaped corrugated piece of sheet metal having upwardly extending flanges adapted to direct the water in the creases of said sprinkler.

2. A gas-generator having a generatingchamber, a water seal for said chamber, a gas-storage tank, a suitable pipe connecting said parts, and means for distributing water on carbid vin said generating-chamber consisting of a pipe for conveying water into said chamber, a corrugated cone-shaped sprinkler provided with a stem whereby said sprinkler is loosely mounted in the end of said waterpipe, and upwardly-extending flanges having their upper ends fiuslrwith said stem and adapted to direct water to the creases of said sprinkler.

3. A gas-generator having a water-supply tank, a water-sealed generating-chamber, a pipe connecting said chamber and said tank, a gas-storage tank connected to said chamber, and means for automatically turning on and cutting off the water-supply consisting I of a valve mounted in the water-supply pipe,

a spur or segment attached to said valve and having a notch in one side thereof, abar carried by said storage-tank, and a tripping-bar carried by said bar and provided with aspur adapted to engage the notch in said segment as said storage-tank rises and descends.

4. A gas-generator having a gas-storage tank,two generating-chambers,suitable pipes connecting said chambers with said storage tank, each generating-chamber consisting of a central vessel having a rack for supporting carbid therein, a watei tank circumscribing the upper part ofsaid vessel, a gas-bell resting in said water-tank and circumscribin g the upper part of said vessel, and means for locking said gas-bell to said water-tank, and means for automatically sprinkling water on the carbid in each generating-chamber alternately.

5. A gas-generator having a storage-tank, two generatingchambers, suitable pipes connecting said chambers with said storage-tank, each generating-chamber having a rack for supporting carbid therein, means 'for sealing the chamber with a liquid, and means in the lower part thereof for removing the spent carbid, and means for sprinkling water in each generating-chamber.

A gas-generator having a storage-tank for gas, two generating-chambers, suitable pipes connecting said generating-chambers with said storage-tank, means for supplying said generating-chambers with water, means actuated by said storage-tank for automatically cutting off and turning off the water-supply, and means for automatically switching the water-supply from one generating-chamber (when the carbid is exhausted in that chamber) to the other consisting of valves mounted in the pipes conveying the watersupply, keys attached to the valveste1ns, one of said keys being adapted to move the other key, a tripping-lug carried upward and downward by said storage -tank, and swinging arms mounted on one of said keys and adapted to project in the path of said tripping-lug successively whereby said key is turned onequarter over when said lug passes down, said valves being set so that one is open while the other is closed.

In testimony whereof I set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, this 18th dayof October, 1902.

JOHN SUMMERFIELD.

, Vitnesses:

.lNo. M. BEATIE, J. L. MANNING. 

